No Oil Offshore of Cape Cod

Or this bill might not have met with Bacardi Lamar's approval.

The U.S. House voted 232-187 Thursday to permit new oil and natural gas exploration off the nation's coastlines in swaths that have been off-limits since 1981 because of environmental concerns.

The vote, in which 40 Democrats voted with the Republicans, reflected the political pressures of soaring fuel prices and a desire to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, especially from the volatile Middle East. Supporters argued that expanded offshore drilling would lower natural gas prices, help farmers and manufacturers, bolster national security and bring back jobs.

And he thought a solar powered daisy would make everybody forget that he's been AWOL for years on environmental issues.

To contrast, John Courage is an advocate of renewable energy.

This leadership has paid only token attention to safe and clean renewable alternatives to fossil fuels most probably because of their alignment with the oil and coal industries. The fact is that renewables have been around for well over twenty years and have come of age; they need to be a large part of the twenty-first century mix of energies that keeps our country fueled and helps combat the urgent threat of global warming.

When most people think of renewables they think of solar power. This energy source has great potential, especially for Texas, which could lead the nation in its implementation. At this time solar water heating is the most cost-effective solar technology, but if some of the subsidies for oil and coal were transferred to solar, other solar uses would flourish at reasonable cost. These include solar air-conditioning, now on the market, and solar powered cars, still being developed.

Texas likewise is well positioned to be in a major wind power center for the U.S. In fact, it is predicted that Texas will soon surpass California in megawatts generated by wind. There are now over 1,000 wind generators in west Texas, and more windmills will soon appear near and off the Texas coast.

Think of that. Oil and Gas are not the future of energy. Solar and wind are.

Just another reason we need Courage in Congress.

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